


Things Were Different

by nicolehaughtscowboyhat (orphan_account)



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Dolls is dead, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Wayhaught - Freeform, Wynonna is angry Nicole is sad, all that good shit, apologies in advance, wynonna earp - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23339962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/nicolehaughtscowboyhat
Summary: Waverly walks into the homestead only to find a drunk Wynonna arguing with Nicole over Doll’s death
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 6
Kudos: 88





	Things Were Different

**Author's Note:**

> lowkey shit but i’m tired and wanted to write :)

Waverly carefully walks into the homestead. It was late at night and her girlfriend had probably just fallen asleep on the couch after her 12 hour shift. The creaky floorboards and squeaky door didn’t make this easy, but it seemed she didn’t have to be quiet. She could hear shouts coming from the inside. Drunk, angry yells, mostly coming from Wynonna, some from Nicole. 

“You’re not the only one who lost him!” She heard Nicole cry out. Dolls. Of course it was about Dolls. For the record, her sister had been a bit selfish on who got to grieve for him, but she couldn’t help but wonder what sparked this loud ass argument. Still, she didn’t butt in and hid in the corner of the kitchen. They were too caught up to notice her. 

“Haught, goddammit!” Wynonna spits, the alcohol giving her a slight slur, “Don’t you know I lost my best fucking friend! My mentor! One of my loves! You don’t fucking understand. All he was to you was a therapist, he didn’t give a shit about you! Big whoop, you survived a massacre! He didn’t give a shit and neither do I!”

Nicole stands there, in shocked silence. What could she say? If she said anything, it would be moments before her fists were bashing the eldest Earp’s face in. Finally she decided it was best to keep quiet, go pack her bags, and go back to her home. She clearly wasn’t wanted here. 

Waverly’s what greets her when she’s turned around. Her eyes are wide and filled with tears. Part of the redhead wanted to tell Waverly it was okay, she had to, she was her rock. The other part was so angry that words couldn’t form. Somehow Waverly caught all of this just from the look in her eyes. Nicole grabs her hand as she walks up the steps to begin packing her bags. 

“Nicole, baby, you don’t have to leave-“

“I’m not wanted here, nor do I want to be here. I’m never talking to your drunk of a sister again either! If you want to come to the house with me then you can.”

Her words were blunt. They hung in the air like a picture frame and honestly, Waverly didn’t know what to say. All she could do was sit there as Nicole angrily packed her bags back up. She also didn’t know whether she should follow Nicole or yell at her sister. Yelling at her sister while she was in this state really wouldn’t solve anything, she realized, so she eventually just decided on going back to Nicole’s. 

Besides, her girlfriend needed her right now whether she wanted to admit that or not. 

The car ride back to the house is silent. That’s usual for their late night car trips, but this wasn’t a good silence. It was dense and uncomfortable, Waverly hated every second of it. She wished Nicole didn’t live so far out of Purgatory but she also didn’t totally blame her. How could she live directly in the town that had scarred her for life, took her only family from her?

Nicole never admitted it, but Waverly knew she really didn’t like sleeping at the homestead. Wynonna and Doc’s constant moaning and/or fighting sounds kept her up all night anyways. She did it for Waverly. After all, she did a lot of things for her. 

“Nicole?”

“What?”

“I’m sorry about-“

Nicole huffs and tightens her grip on the steering wheel, “I don’t want to talk about it, Waves. I just want to get home and sleep and not be distracted while I’m driving, okay?”

The reply is snappy but Waverly couldn’t say she didn’t expect that. She would be too if someone had just completely belittled her trauma just to compare it to their own. Knowing Nicole, it would probably be in the middle of the night when she was half asleep when she’d finally decide to talk about it. 

Waverly’s drawn out of her train of thought by hearing the crunching of gravel under tires. This old backroad meant Nicole’s place wasn’t too far up ahead. Her girlfriend lived in the middle of nowhere, that’s for sure. 

“She needs to stop drinking so damn much,” Nicole says, putting the car in park and taking the keys out the ignition. Her bag and shit could stay in the car until she felt the need to go get it. Waverly trails behind her into the house like a lost puppy, not sure what to say. The redhead shucks off her uniform while occasionally cussing out the older Earp. “She’s not the only one who’s gone through shit.”

“I know, Nic,” Waverly replies softly, “Come here.”

Nicole sighs and tosses on her old t shirt before sliding under the covers beside her girlfriend. “Your sister can be a real shitbag, you know that?”

“I’m aware,” Waverly smiles a little, “She used to force me to drink grape soda until it came out my nose.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“I’m going to talk to her tomorrow. Being a dick to you isn’t going to bring Dolls back, and he wouldn’t want to see you two arguing over him.”

It’s silent for a few more moments before Waverly hears a quiet, “Was I really just a burden to him? He really didn’t care about me?”

“Oh, Nicole,” Waverly rolls over and strokes the tears from her cheeks. Her baby had been through too much to deal with this on top of the PTSD and grief of losing Dolls, “He loved you, baby. I’m sure he didn’t give his room key to anyone. He didn’t counsel just anyone when the nightmares became too much. He was more than your friend, he knew that, you knew that. Don’t let Wynonna make you doubt that, alright? I love you.”

Nicole nods, “I love you too. I just wish he was still here... it hurts, Waves, it really hurts.”

Waverly doesn’t even process what she said until Nicole’s crying into her shoulder, murmuring things through her tears that only she would ever be able to make out. It’s hours before the crying finally dies down and replaced with soft snores. Still, she can’t sleep knowing the heartbreak her poor girlfriend is experiencing. 

Losing a loved one was something Waverly had gone through countless times. Willa, Daddy, Shorty, and so many more. They never truly left her, she knew Nicole was never going to let Dolls go either. 

It was a good thing of course. The redhead was the strongest person she knew, but even the strongest people needed a reason to keep going somedays. Waverly knew she was enough, Nicole tells her every day, but Dolls is a whole different level. He supported her on days no one else could. 

Nicole should’ve gotten a goodbye. She should’ve been able to save him, not over that mountain begging for life. If only she had been a little faster, stronger, smarter... maybe one of her best friends would still be here. These were the thoughts that taunted Nicole, similar to the ones Wynonna was feeling underneath all the booze and anger. 

Wynonna and Nicole didn’t have much in common but blame, guilt, and anger? That was at least three things they shared. Waverly just wished they knew how to work through it. Instead, it was 4:30 in the morning and both girls were crying their eyes out, wishing for things to be different.

**Author's Note:**

> constructive criticism and story ideas are welcomed


End file.
